John Tukey
Biography:
Retired horse vet, veterinary anesthesiologist and ER/ICU doc, life long horseman and coach, carpenter, designer, retired professor.
Statement:Â
Mostly wildlife art and staring into portraits…helps me cope and something constructive to do that is affordable relative to many other pursuits……..have a passion for art and creativity…….love seeing what others do and keeping busy keeps one from thinking about other negative things.
About this Work:
i have done butterflies, birds, elk, deer, etc.
Julia Parker
Biography:
Former social worker, now parent, poet, psychiatric survivor.
Statement:
During lockdown, I lost access to my primary replacement for medication–the gym. As I struggled to find a way to stay sane in a house of children aged 3-13, while my husband continued to work from home to keep his small business afloat, I began to experiment with various art projects as they crossed my mind. Instead of succumbing fully to my OCD, which often requires an overwhelming amount of planning, refining & perfecting, I tried to just go with the flow of things, which became the biggest challenge of all. During the pandemic I was constantly getting things “wrong” as we all learned about the disease & the definition of “safe” behaviors continued to evolve and change. For someone who spent much of their life planning how to avoid getting things “wrong”, I had no where else to run and was tired of crying on my porch every time I got back from picking up groceries before starting an arduous process of sanitizing and “safe” behaviors. The end results have been a lot of imperfect projects that I didn’t have a reason for, other than they communicated my feelings better than any words could at the time.
About this Work:
I’ve had a 1950’s science book for years that I had lots of ideas for, but never executed them due to my fear of getting it âwrongâ. Over COVID, I uploaded the original images in photoshop, where I edited them and removed the simple, utopian text to add more direct comments about the world today. I spent a few weeks playing with different image transfer techniques and gel mediums before accepting the imperfectness of this piece and adding oil paint accents. Iâve written lots of poetry over the last year, but none of it conveys how Iâve felt as clearly and concisely as this piece.
Catherine Denton
Biography:
I am a Metaphysician and used natural methods to heal from bipolar. I am the daughter of a Retired Army Veteran, a wife, mother, community worker, spiritual practitioner, former nurse, and a Navy Veteran. I believe we are all here to encourage others as we each travel life’s journey in our own unique way.
Statement:
I have always been creative with writing, sewing, and ideas for projects. This year was my first foray into visual art using paint. With the world on lockdown & my husband unable to work and feel useful, I looked for some creative outlet to keep my anxiety at bay. My usual ability to write had fled, the words would not come to me. My mother-in-law is a retired art teacher and artist in many mediums. She encouraged me to try painting. I found I could express my feelings through this new creative endeavor and have finished several paintings this past year. The feeling of my world being out of control disappeared as I mixed colors and dabbed them on the canvas. I enjoyed the freedom the acrylics gave me to color my anxiety and frustration. Instead of my emotions drowning me, I gave them a better life. I have accumulated several tools over the years to deal with emotional crises while also living a fuller life in my day-to-day. I admit this pandemic pushed me to the limit. I had learned over the years to really look at the difficult things that crop up. I have found it is an opportunity to expand. I am grateful to my MIL for her encouragement. Though the pandemic caused us all to contract, I have discovered there is even more to me than I knew possible.
About this Work:
My adult daughter said this painting reminded her of a Robert Frost poem. I added the words of Mr. Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” and have made note cards to send to folks during this past year. This work is now framed and hangs on my wall at home.
Phoebe Wagner
Biography:
Author, poet and artist, I spent the greater part of my adult life in psychiatric institutions or under psychiatric treatment. I have been restrained and secluded innumerable times, forcibly subjected to electroshock, and bullied and bruised by a psychiatric system I never should have trusted. No more. Now my art allows me to speak out. I aim to show to the world the truth about psychiatric treatment that the system hides.
Statement:
Isolation is a “treatment” favored in psychiatric hospitals but this past year everyone got a taste of being forcibly confined. While I enjoy alone time, this year also brought back memories of seclusion and restraint and all the psychiatric games that mental hospitals play. PSYCHOPOLY, my submitted art, finished in late 2020 was the result.
About this Work:
Much board game symbolism was used in this piece, including the chess pieces and the monopoly theme. Personal symbols include the use of glasses, red/green lenses (which produce a 3-D image) represent truth, and truth telling, while sunglasses represent occluded truth or falsehoods. The clock represents a day in the hospital while the psychopoly board represents the “games” played while confined or in order to get out.
Ellen McCord
Biography:
Ellen lives on an island in the Salish Sea. Sheâs a writer, editor, and artist who loves to sing. She describes herself as a âliminal personâ one who lives at the threshold between seen and unseen realms. A survivor of childhood trauma, locked up, misdiagnosed and drugged, it took her 20 months to detox from the âcocktailâ she was told sheâd have to take for the rest of her life. Ellen spends her days with her two dogs, going to the beach whenever possible while creating a loving container for both her dreams and nightmares.
Statement:
About a year ago, I got my last haircut. Who knew at that time, what would transpire? Over the course of my adult life, Iâve experienced states of consciousness that open windows to a cacophony of realities. Navigating those realities, dropping out of time and space, and living in a realm of symbolism left me with precognitive narratives about this time we are currently experiencing. I didnât know what it would be, exactly, that caused the things I âsawâ in those other states, but when Covid hit, I knew, this was the catalyst for the era I anticipated.
My artwork, the technique represented in this piece, has allowed me to settle into that cacophony of impressions gathered through my various forays into other realms. I put my pen on the paper and let it guide me. What emerges is a dada-esque surrealistic representation of what is flowing through my consciousness at the time. I drop into this meditative place and let the images emerge, developing them consciously at times, and at other times allowing them to appear without my conscious intervention. This technique produces a dream-like image I can enter and explore as a mirror to my inner narratives. I let the pen guide me, then pick up my watercolor brush and give it the same permission. When I let go of any conscious control, my work process feels embodied, connected both to somatic and ancestral memory as well as to a spiritual realm that nourishes my being. As someone who lives with a withdrawal syndrome, I feel particularly guarded about both exposure to the virus as well as to the vaccines. So, for now, my artwork, my dogs and the calming influences of the Salish Sea are my solace and comfort in solitude.
About this Work:
This piece was the first one I’ve done using this technique. I’m working on a second piece now and it’s quite different. I find this way of working to be very helpful in exploring emotional experience reflectively, a way to process trauma. The elements that emerge in the work reflect back to me what I’m struggling with emotionally and allow me to tell myself a symbolic, visual story about the influences active in my consciousness. Working on these leaves me feeling calm and quiet on the inside, a real gift in these times.
Melissa LaFontaine
melissalafontaineblog.wordpress.com
Biography:
Artist. Writer. Mother. Deeply aware of the world in which I live.
Statement:
During the year leading up to the first lockdown, I painted over 30 figures and faces. Many of them lined my walls like an army of imaginary friends. Everywhere I looked I saw a reassuring sense of myself. My own strange foresight staring back at me. I picked this painting to share because it reminds me of an inquisitive, introspective monk. This year offered many opportunities for contemplative practice and spiritual study which can produce fantastic creative expressions. I used abstract drawing as a mindfulness tool when traditional meditation became uncomfortable. Art has always been my most trusted ally. I spent more time on fiber arts this year. I had already been living an uncomfortably solitary life but having everyone elseâs reactions displayed through various media, brought to light a deep need to reintegrate myself into society as a recovered person. I realized I have a right to expect a visceral sense of social inclusion (which had been lost or that I had given up trying to find). As my first act of healing, I crocheted a blanket out of all my leftover yarn pieces collected over the years. In the end I had my very own rainbow-colored unified field of hand-woven proof, lest I forget again the connection inherent within the tapestry of life or doubt my own worthiness to partake.
Art is always my proof that Iâm still here, willing to not give up but to keep trying new forms of communication even when things donât look super awesome. It teaches me to listen closely to the many ways others might be trying to do the same and finding their voice. Being an artist, to me, feels exactly like being a healer. And that only became more relevant and necessary during this last year.
Leigha Cohen
Biography:
I am 70 year old who self defined as being autistic about 18 months ago. I have done multiple things in my life including photography and video work and teaching and being an engineer as well. I have been doing photography for over 50 years. It really helps me to be expressive when words just will not cut it for me. I have diagnosis for all kinds of things but just realize I am different in lots of positive ways from most people and enjoy that.
Statement:
The first thing is for many people Covid limited just tons of more traditional interactions we had. I was living in NYC at the time finishing up a class at the local Community access TV channel in Brooklyn BRIC. I was volunteering at a local Pride Center. Just riding my bike around Brooklyn last March became a problem.
So I moved back into my family house in Central NJ. It was so isolating especially coming from NYC to the suburbs. I am also a restless person and staying indoors just could produce feeling more isolated.
So I started to just go out safely to places like the home depot of shopping. I live right against the beautiful D&R canal which I have photographed for the last 17 years.
I decided that for my sanity I needed some longer safer trips. So I took my bike in my car and did a 15 day road trip out to Wisconsin and back, doing a lot of bike riding when I would stop. I doubt that I would have taken the trip but it is so calming and certainly Trump and Covid was not, it was more like potential little nightmares for myself and others.
So there where new places, old places but seeing it differently. Places that I recorded just to document the impact of Covid from closed stores to empty parking lots.
But for me the things that I connected to where the new places I saw and the beauty of those places and the special memories that my photography can give me and also help connect to others.
About this Work:
This is the trip I made to Wisconsin for my mental health to see an old friend of mine for hr mental health.
On my trip out I decided to stay at a hotel in Sandusky Ohio. I had traveled about 450 miles in my car and had chosen the spot because it was right next to lake Erie.
The light was beautiful at the last part of the day. I got onto my bicycle and did a short 2 mile ride. Before I got to the lake I was surrounded by beautiful Marsh Land. I decided to snap a few pictures on my Samsung galaxy S10+ smartphone and not lug around my Nikon D750. I was trying to take some photos where I incorporated my bike into the photos.
I was in the area for about 90 minutes. Soon it was time to go back to the motel and watch the sunset.
Covid has so many difficult memories of loss that occurred in so many people lives. But I tried to turn that around for my own survival and also add the gains that it could make, especially when I am motivated to do my photography.
Deepa Kamath
Biography:
I believe I am someone longing to find meaning and purpose in life. In that endeavour, I discovered being in relationship with nature and meditation. It has also fueled a journey into connecting with myself through art and words. And to go through a process of feeling lost and redefining myself constantly.
Statement:
The pandemic threw me in the deep end facing of my self. As if a spotlight was drawn on the deeper darker recesses of my being and there was no escaping it this time. My suppressive tactics would no longer hold and thatâs when art would be that extreme resort, allowing expression in abstraction. It has been a means to understand myself through a reflectionary understanding when it is just too hard to fully come to terms with what I am feeling.
This photograph is part of several other photographs that I took one afternoon. I dismissed them as some stuff I did one afternoon. A reflection of avoidance, of not wanting to go there, to see whatâs happening, to feel the feelings. And itâs only now, a year later, as I shuffle through the photographs, I feel empathy for myself. And it is now that I can give words to voice it.
I felt pain, deep heartache and despair. I felt separation and longing. The layers to these emulsions of feelings and emotions were interwoven narratives. On the surface there was anger and frustration with the lockdown we all were under. But deeper down, I felt hopelessness and helplessness. I felt this was happening because of the direct impact of living violently with nature, for so long. And in parallel, my own self-destructive behaviors, from being unable to connect with myself. I felt these macro micro connections were not a coincidence, they were mirroring each other because they are just different views of the same truth. My disconnection with nature was no different from my disconnect with myself. This separation was breeding so much pain. And from there, a longing to connect, to become whole, to join, to harmonize, once again, to repair and restore this relationship. The relationship with nature, the relationship with my self. To begin to heal.
Lakey Goff
Biography:
I am a Mother, Artist, & Certified Kundalini Yoga + Meditation Teacher.
I teach the beauty and flow of living a creative life, meditation, the power of the spoken word & laws of the universe through immersion in nature.
My purpose is to serve and to guide others in radical self-healing especially those whose Innate spiritual gifts have been misdiagnosed as ” mental illness” in the system.
I believe in every human’s Divine birthright to be healed and whole. My art is created to inspire and elevate humanity, I call it Propaganda of Truth!
Statement:
In response to the constant fear of sickness and disease in the media during the pandemic, I have created a beautiful, inspired work of art that holds the frequency of truth and as a reminder, for us to connect to that eternal part of ourselves……. I HAVE THE BODY ELECTRIC! The words we speak do not return void …………along without thoughts our words shape and create our reality. When we claim with our words……..I HAVE THE BODY ELECTRIC …………it is powerful………… we are claiming health, wholeness, and vitality!
About this Work:
In response to the emotional impact of the pandemic, I have created a series of watercolor and gold wash paintings that Elevate the viewer and remind them of their own power to heal, the innate intelligence of their own bodies, and the unique expression of creativity that we all have.
Bertel RĂźdinger
Biography:
I am a psychiatric survivor and clinical pharmacist. I work with support for people tapering psychotropic drugs and teaching staff about drugs.
I started painting in the late 90s before I came into contact with psychiatry. I mainly painted non-figuratively but I stopped painting around 2013. Painting was very much a healing tool for me and as I healed I lacked the inspiration to paint.
I have had several shows of paintings and I sold some pieces in the 00s, but I became more and more drawn to photography instead.
Statement:
For the last 10 years photography has been my main way of expressing myself artistically but during the pandemic I have been more isolated than usual and I started painting again. This time it is not so much about voicing unexpressed emotions but more a way of exploring my emotions.
I used to primarily paint oil and acrylics but during the pandemic I started exploring digital art which has also lead me back to physical painting. I find the two workflows very different and where I almost exclusively paint non-figuratively with oils and acrylics I tend to paint figuratively digitally.
During the pandemic we have all been isolated much more and painting has become an excellent way of expressing to myself what or how I feel. For a long time I used painting to understand myself but since I have come back to painting it is more about expressing my emotions and longings to myself. I can get lost in the process of painting – either digitally or physically and instead of feeling lonely or bot having other people to express my emotions to I paint.
Katie Hart Teixeira
Biography:
I have used music, art and photography to create with deep sensitivity towards states of possibility and presence, which are an antidote to fear and worry. Sharing these states through art is my highest honor.
Statement:
Turned to music and sharing the vibrations of hope with others. Porch concerts, sound healings, and personally with photos and acrylic. Painting is a meditation with color, and Sounding a meditation with notes, tones and frequency. Gave me strength to be an anchor in my family and community.
About this Work:
Relates to my use of color in my music as well. Bluegreen is a vibration of creation and a bridge to multidimensional living.
Ken Segal
Biography:
A graduate of The Tyler School of Art of Temple University, Ken now works for The Creative Vision Factory in Wilmington, DE, an art studio and gallery for those on the “Behavioral Health Spectrum” (those with mental illness or addiction issues.)
Statement:
I found that inspiration and motivation to create new work couldn’t be counted on. When I did create new paintings, I used fluorescent acrylics (black light paints) which are the brightest of pigments, in contrast to my frequent depression. Painting lifted my spirits and let me depict my mood. I am happiest when actually “pushing paint around.”
About this Work:
This painting was created with Fluorescent Acrylics (Black light paints) which are the brightest of pigments, sometimes called Day-GLO. This jpg depicts the painting photographed in black light (Ultraviolet.) In person it appears even brighter and more dramatic than the jpg.
Tina Arnoldi
Biography:
Tina Arnoldi earned her MA in psychology and worked in the mental health field. She currently lives in Charleston, SC where she works as a digital marketing consultant. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, creating art with various mediums, and ordering take-out.
Statement:
I have numerous art supplies but didnât get back into creating anything until the lockdown. Doing so has been extremely helpful in taking my mind off the news and a distraction from being home 24/7. In the fall, I enrolled in a year-long comic book school and created the attached piece as part of an assignment. The classes have been a great distraction but more important is the community. Because itâs virtual, Iâve had the opportunity to meet people from around the world and weâve had some really amazing conversations about mental health. I have some new friends I would not have met otherwise.
Chuck Dooms
Biography:
Born on August 6th, 1958. Diagnosed manic depressive/ bipolar 2 , and PTSD about 10 years ago. Also live with Parkinson’s Disease. Started doing digital art around 7 years ago. I view it as part of my therapy. My work involves digital painting and manipulation of photos Iâve taken.
Statement:
The last year has been a whirlwind. For me, time has sped up. My limited interaction with the outside world has forced me to be more self-reflective which I think shows up in my art.
Jaimie Sotsky
Biography:
Im 44 years old and i taught myself how to paint by watching Bob Ross, The Joy of Painting tv shows. I started with landscapes but have switched over to acrylic pours. I have dabbled in mixed media artwork. Painting is my escape.
Statement:
Painting has always provided an escape for me. In the last year i have switched from landscapes to acrylic pours. Acrylic pours are very free and no need for perfection. The process is layering painting in a cup and placing the turned over cup on canvas and lifting the cup. No pour will be exactly the same as before and that is okay. With the pandemic my OCD has been worse so doing acrylic pours have been important.
Jacqueline Dunn
Biography:
I was brought up a Quaker going to a Quaker school here in the U.K. I studied art but only completed half my a level. I didn’t draw for over forty years and have just got an interest back after all these years. My art I feel relates to God. I have suffered mental health problems all my life. I’ve had ect at the age of seventeen unknown what they did to me. I’m fifty two now nearly 53. The pandemic is pretty scary for anyone.
Statement:
Many hours painting.
Elena Coyne
Biography:
Hello! I am a 30 year old widow who has experienced and experiences high levels of mental distress. I am an intermittent voice hearer and unusual belief/intense fear experiencer, who initially experienced a significant period of constant voices, unusual beliefs, and intense fear. I have a long trauma history. I am navigating going back to school at the moment with the end goal of becoming a Jungian analyst and working in private practice and/or in a setting like the Soteria Houses.
Statement:
During this last year I began creating emotional processing digital art to work through and connect with my emotions, trauma, and unconscious content. For the most part, I let my unconscious take the lead and just drew/did what felt was intuitively right. My dad’s health began to worsen last June and the pandemic had already been taking a big toll on me mentally and emotionally. All of my outside structure had fallen away and I was struggling to get myself to do even basic things from the end of February until July of last year. In the beginning of July I began writing down my dreams everyday and eventually began to use active imagination and then active imagination art to emotionally process. Through recording my dreams, active imagination, psychology self study, and creating art and poetry I began to slowly be able to create self structure and made immense progress in therapy.
About this Work:
âWhat are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water.
Only There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust. â
~ T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land, The Burial of the Dead Stanzas 19-30
The day I created this I had gone to visit my parents. My dad’s health conditions had significantly deteriorated. I was dealing with a difficult roommate situation which felt all the more constricting because of the effects of the Pandemic.
To process my overwhelming pain, grief, and fear I sat down to draw. I let my unconscious take the lead and drew what felt right. it was only towards the end that the concept really began to emerge and I realized the connection to the Waste Land. In this painting I felt I was able to express destabilizing uncertainty, my struggles regarding faith and feelings, give a voice to the intensity of my emotions, and make tangible the hope that while I cannot know what will grow, something will. This emotional processing piece helped give me the faith that the darker realities of life, however painful and destructive they can be, are the soil in which new life takes root.
Marianne Lykke Nielsen
Biography:
50 years old, bipolar, ptsd. Napkins, broken mirrors and acrylic paint is my therapy, also in this pandemic where loneliness is a big issue.
Statement:
I’m bad at english, but when I’m happy I make big paintings, it makes me come down in my head, and I don’t feel so lonely. Due the pandemic, I got fired and got my diagnose in December. Hopefully I can paint the rest of my life, because it is there I feel complete and normal.
About this Work:
The fantasies comes out…the happy Marianne.
Ragan McManus
Biography:
Ragan McManus is a mother, wife, artist and Peer Recovery Specialist living in Fulks Run, Virginia. Ragan holds a BFA from the University of Tennessee and a MFA from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). She has been drawn to painting since she was a child and has used painting as a primary source for wellness and recovery throughout her life. Ragan is a voracious researcher and likes thinking about alternative recovery models and approaches in relation to the Peer Support field.
Statement:
Painting is my “go-to” source for meditation and wellness. Over the past year I was personally shaken by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She has been one of my heroes for a very long time as she stood up gallantly and frequently for social justice, gender equality and human equity. Times when I have felt “other” I turn my thoughts to individuals like RBG for strength, wisdom, and answer. I began working on this painting shortly after her death and shortly after the death of my 12-step sponsor who passed from COVID-19. With a tumultuous political landscape, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, my anxiety-filled mind found solace and reprieve in connecting with Ruth over the two month development of this portrait. The thought bubble, “It’s My Turn to Speak,” was a kind of meditative call to RGB for her love and wisdom to reign down on us, even post mortem.
Charlotte Selvig Svensen
Biography:
I am a self taught visual artist with a background in teaching. Since 2016 I have concentrated solely on my art practice and my passion for sharing art appreciation in schools and community venues. I work with layers and produces collage works consisting of drawing, watercolor and acrylic. The layering is not only a technique but also my practice and approach to life.
Statement:
With the lockdown my very small art business had to close. A so my daily exchanges with the people I taught – both children and adults came to a halt. And my interactions with art partners stopped. At first is seemed to free up a lot of time and I expected to experience a surge of creativity but instead I felt stunned and unable to work consistently. That first time I took the word corona and decided to make large round watercolors relating to it. It became a therapeutic exercise for me. One that kept my creativity going and my mind at ease. These watercolors became a steppingstone to figuring out witch way to take an already planed group showing with four other artists. The country reopened briefly throughout the summer only to start new restrictions again on the day of our opening. Discouraging but we did manage to have a good showing. Following a restricted Christmas a new lockdown. Again and I am now worried about my business. But mostly I miss my âstudentsâ and the inspiration of the people I connect with during my workshops. The restlessness has got me in a major way. I try to illustrate the worries I have about the loss of touch and tactility among people. And the inability to enjoy art close up. Wearing the masks changes the way we interact. The smiles are suppressed and while in the beginning we compensated by laughing out loud and addressing it humorously I now find that people hide a little behind the mask. I do enjoy online platforms but I feel desperate to co-lap and interact with other artists in the flesh. This desperation has pointed me in a new direction with bigger painted collages that I feel more emotionally invested in.
Howard Weiner
Biography:
While in a state hospital I was given a canvas to relate my thoughts through art. The fact that a canvas rather than paper was given to me really excited me and a new world opened up. Many works followed and so did many people who began to admire my works. I passed them along and many remembered me for my “hidden talent”. I now consider art therapy in my own way as a healthy outlet.
Statement:
Due to loss of employment because of the pandemic I have much spare time. I often find myself past midnight stressed and use art to release a healthy form of my anger. Why is there a pandemic and the daily headlines seem to fade away. The different color combinations created are soothing. Swishing the brush along the canvas can be tantalizing to my mind. My goal is to fully coat the canvas with color, sit back and interpret what I have just created. Many times I need to turn my work upside down to get a better understanding. This art form is very effective in dealing with the current situation with Covid-19 for me.
Adam Williamson
Biography:
I live with psychosis on a daily basis. I’m currently working towards becoming a CRPS and am excited. I’ve been doing art since I was 8 years old. But it’s been only four years since I started using acrylic as a medium.
Statement:
Art is a coping skill for me and my illness. During this pandemic the psychosis has become more intense. My feelings and symptoms related to the pandemic and the psychosis it enhances pour onto the page. It’s a release for me. My feelings and troubles can be seen in the art if you look close enough.
Jennifer Siciliano
Biography:
Jennifer Siciliano started out in teaching and theater, then later fell into face and body painting, earning national awards. She was featured on Lucie Finkâs YouTube series, Refinery29âs live Facebook broadcast, the Long Island web-based talk show “Date Night with Connie and Chrissy” and Snapchat Discoverâs video series “Beauty Craze.â Her artwork was published in Philadelphia Magazine, The Schizophrenia Bulletin, The Journal of Psychological Nursing and Mental Health, and Go Naked Magazine. She is now dedicated to her quest in changing the worldâs view on mental illness through her memoir and her Not As Crazy As You Think Podcast.
Statement:
For over a decade, my main art medium was through face and body painting, and my business Visionary Face and Body Art was a prominent attraction at festivals, farms, special events, nightclubs, and private parties throughout the New York Tri-state area. But when the Covid-19 crisis hit, I was forced to cancel independent gigs for scheduled events, which later resulted in closing my business. The very therapeutic nature of what I dedicated my artwork to required me to touch and be in close contact with other people, and this freedom of expression was annihilated due to social distancing. My painting was my main source of income, and I had no immediate way to make money for basic essentials until government relief was thankfully issued. I was profoundly saddened by my loss, and I felt as though I was losing a special identity that I worked so hard at creating, something so different from what the psychiatric institution saw in me. But my art still needed to be expressed and the nationâs story recorded. Since I had plenty of bodypaint hanging around, I began painting flat boards easy to store. The result is a liquid makeup paint, which dries like sturdy pastel chalk. This year I created a six-painting series called âCovid Nation,â which I just finished this week. The paintings cover various subjects inspired by 2020, such as NYâs death numbers on the rise in April and May, the nationâs inability to work during lockdown, the mental health concerns related to quarantining and social distancing, the tension of opposites politically in response to the public health crisis, the PPE shortage, and the airline industry bailout. Each one is up to 3â x 4â large, and I hope to exhibit them in a gallery at some point this year.
About this Work:
As Governor Cuomo recited the words âNew Rochelleâ over and over during his press conferences early in the pandemic, explaining where the New York âhot zoneâ was located, I needed to emotionally deal with the fact that he was speaking of my hometown where my family and many of my friends still live. New Rochelle is just north of New York City and became the center of where the virus broke out in not only New York State but the nation. The city weakened and nearly devastated by the deadly whirlwind of Covid-19, never had I ever witnessed such a sight in my old backyard. Whole neighborhoods were marked off with yellow police tape bordering the quarantined areas. I was most struck by the severity of this virus when I arrived at one of the first Covid drive-through testing centers at New Rochelleâs Glen Island off the Long Island Sound early in mid-March. Managed by the national guard, the site was populated with medical professionals swabbing us in hazmat suits, and I realized this emerging pandemic was quite serious. I was so humbled by the courage, love and kindness they were exhibiting on the front line each and every day as the true warriors of this battle, as people were dying in droves. Although they were covered up in masks, I saw their tribal headdresses with feathers in their caps for exhibiting such bravery, proving to everyone why they got into the medical field to begin with: to help others. And I was so touched by their self-less giving all while people in lockdown were concerned with getting haircuts. My painting, âThe Front Lineâ is a tribute to these warriors, and I thank them still to each day for helping my birth city get back on its feet.
Lauren Spiro
Biography:
Locked up for 15 months including being forceably drugged at age 16 and labeled with chronic schizophrenia, Lauren became the first director of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR.ORG) where she successfully advocated for mental health peer-driven federal policy, research, education and networking and achieved sustainable (15 years and ongoing) funding for such programs.
Statement:
Creating art and in particular drawing and/or painting transports me deep into the edges of my awareness and my ability to perceive the 99% of the invisible universe. I only draw and or paint when I feel an inner coherence meaning a smooth flow of energy from mind, to heart and through my body. This allows me to enter a space of resonance which includes sensing my energy, my space in this world. I started this particular art form (drawing sometimes on a painted background) a couple of years ago. This art form typically comes through me, not by me, and requires an open mind and an open heart.
That said, itâs a powerful tool that invites me to go deep inside myself. Thus I am able â at least for a few hours while creating a piece – to turn my focus inward and away from the chaos, pain, struggle, anxiety and confusion of the world, especially these days so that I may focus on the light and energy at a much deeper, peaceful level. For example, the piece I submitted totally came through me. Immediately upon finishing the piece I saw an email from a dear friend, letting me know her mom had just passed. It seemed that perhaps unconsciously I had known it was coming or that her passing had perhaps already come while I was drawing. Mystery moved me to name the art piece in honor of her mom and the journey the three of us (and so many others) are on during this wild and unpredictable covid time.
About this Work:
I have never sold any of my drawings/paintings, however during this covid time I donated hundreds of one of my drawings which I had made into a card with a matching magnet as part of my “Sending Love” project. All proceeds from the sale goes to the non-profit thrift shops which sell them. I would be happy, however, to give/sell to MIA at my very low cost-only some of my art (including, my submission) which I have had made into cards, as a fundraiser for MIA.
Ellie Page
Biography:
I’m a freelance queer & disabled artist/writer/facilitator, as well as mental health worker & youth worker. I am Project Coordinator for the UK Disability Arts Alliance, #WeShallNotBeRemoved, and also work on projects with Hearing Voices Network in England. I live in Manchester in the UK, and am passionate about most things, but it is my partner, my video games and making art (for myself, as opposed to for someone else) that has got me through the pandemic so far. What I have missed most is the feeling of a cold pint glass containing a freshly (and decently) poured Guinness.
Statement:
I began to play with different art mediums as a result of my worsening health issues, combined with a well-timed Social Work placement at an arts & mental health charity in 2018. I was born in South East London, had a complicated life with its fair share of trauma & joy in not-quite equal measure & made Manchester my home in 2015. My health – physical & mental – has taken a significant downturn since the pandemic, as being classed as ‘Extremely Clinically Vulnerable’ in the UK has meant I have had to ‘shield’ for nearing a year now. The pandemic caused me to close my accessible arts practice down very early on, and since then I have felt more isolated & forgotten about than ever. This past year has seen some horrendous things happening all over the world, and this news has been a struggle to absorb and deal with alongside daily difficulties & ongoing issues. I’ve just applied for funding to digitize more of my work, as everything I make is from a therapeutic need and is therefore done FAR AWAY from a screen – so it’s all on paper, in journals, sketchbooks, etc.
About this Work:
This piece is currently called âKeep Fighting – Itâs Worth Itâ and was essentially an attempt to balance out the never ending struggle between activism/passion and depression/burn-out. The fist is to remind us that no, we canât individually solve all the worldâs problems in one go, but those small actions, statements, and thoughts that we have, when done with conviction, are all part of the wider fight for a better and more just society. The fist, the symbol of fighting, must always be present, but hopefully we can find something healthy and therapeutic within that, like the marbled bright colors in this image. I hallucinate due to a series of neurological conditions, and what often happens is that the colors of objects in the room start swirling into one another. Itâs not scary, itâs quite beautiful, and thatâs why I love working with ink, water and marbling so much.
Howard Edelbaum
Biography:
I am a 62 year old progressive man who is an accounting consultant and run a small business from my home. Originally, from Brooklyn and still call it my home. Having a life long passion for creativity over the years, as Vice President for various accounting consulting firms used theater and improv in the business world to created more inclusive environments. After a near-death illness several years ago I am now semi-retired and live with my partner in Park Slope.
Statement:
Living in the epicenter of the pandemic in New York last year I felt scared, angry, hopeless, alienated and isolated. I was in individual and group therapy, via zoom, and felt it was not enough support so I joined a second group. Feeling isolated I went to Prospect Park everyday for 3 to 4 hour walks by myself with my mask on and phone in hand. I started taking photographs of nature to keep me busy and stay creative. I would post pictures of flowers online daily and many people sent me messages how much they enjoyed my pictures and looked for them everyday. Posting my photographs and getting messages helped me feel connected to nature and people internationally. I realized I was creating my own mental health and decided to do more to feel less isolated and alienated. I started various online groups including a painting class. My paintings gave me great joy and I was able to embrace the uncertainty and feel less scared that I would be in one of the ambulances racing through my neighborhood. To me it felt like new emotions were being created. My photography and painting helped me be more creative, grow and develop during the pandemic.
About this Work:
From doing this artwork and other pieces I have done during the pandemic have learned together we can create much joy, love and beauty to change the world. The acts of joy, kindness, caring and love I have experienced in the last few months which include the Black Lives Matter Movement, the dedicated first responders and healthcare work, people clapping for the healthcare workers, new artwork being created and so much more have given me hope that I have not experienced before in my lifetime.
Iris Wiinikka
Biography:
Iris Wiinikka was raised in Detroit and graduated from the University of Michigan School of Art. Throughout her life she has kept art materials handy for painting. She likes to alternate between doing representational and abstract work. Iris especially loves working with color and is interested in using it expressively. Her preferred mediums are watercolor, oil pastel and acrylics. Alway a private passion, it is only very recently that she has worked to show her paintings publicly. Her work will be included in the upcoming show âminute: a slice of lifeâ at 22 North Gallery, Ypsilanti, Michigan in March.
Statement:
For me the process of making art has always been a form of escape, a type of meditation and a way to comfort myself. In the best moments I get to disappear and I find a wonderful sense of freedom in that. The isolation experienced during the covid pandemic has been double edged for me. On the one hand, it has provided me with more down time and more time for making art. On the other, it has generated profound fear, at times, high anxiety and a deep sense of isolation. âWalled Off- Breaking Throughâ was done as an abstract expression painting during a particular moment last year. I was not consciously working on a symbolic or preconceived message. Upon seeing the way it emerged I notice that it is somehow a reflection on the predicament we are experiencing and my feelings about being separated from people I love and my normal way of being in the world. Even when I am working to escape in some way I also work with a desire to resolve an image and create beauty. I hope ultimately people find beauty and see light in my work and that we all reach a better place on the other side of this difficult time of covid.
Briana Connell
Biography:
I am mad in America. My schizophrenia has taken me on many journeys, but I have found out that art has given me a way out sometimes. I used to play in the trees, and started depressed. Now I make art.
Statement:
I do pour paintings which can get expensive, and it has been hard to find paint lately. I go online versus the store. This painting shows my struggles.
Kay Hua
Biography:
Hello, I am a physician/Scorpio based in NYC living with Bipolar D/O and a very chatty cat. I enjoy vegetarian foods, Motown, the desert, yoga, and origami.
Statement:
I am a NYC-based mental healthcare clinician working in a non-profit community hospital as well as serving as a consultant for a trauma-focused organization.
As the pandemic caused a surge in patient needs, resources/staffing remained notably limited. A bulk of my practice suddenly became telehealth and I began to feel the emotional impact of hours of video appointments/meetings. I rarely saw my colleagues or friends anymore, and I felt tempted to go down the rabbit hole of despair. I eventually began to adjust to virtual hangouts and started to brainstorm other ways of connecting with like-minded individuals.
One idea that had been on my mind for quite some time was offering LGBTQ+ group therapy. Statistics show that LGBTQ+ individuals are at greater likelihood of facing rejection by family/friends, experiencing depression/anxiety, encountering trauma, having SI or have attempted suicide, struggling with a co-occurring substance use d/o, confronting homelessness, engaging in higher risk sexual activity, and receiving inadequate healthcare.
After several weeks of planning, screening patients, and meeting with administration, we launched the group on 2/8/21. We have had two groups so far and it has been really nice to share in a safe space and feel less alone. I can’t wait until the day we can all meet in person!
I started painting as a way to decompress from work stress and learned to love the process of mixing colors and experimenting with brushstrokes/techniques. This painting of an iris under a colorful banner is a tribute to the group’s vibrant and diverse community. Why an iris? The name of the group is I.R.I.S. which stands for “I Rise, I Soar” and also references Iris, goddess of rainbows.
Jen Thompson
Biography:
I paint, I teach, and I love both. I have deep gratitude to be able to create and hold space for others to, for we are all creators and divine but the way is often forgotten and our paths are riddled with the inner critic. Freeing ourselves from that critic is an incredibly powerful tool. I have been painting a lot during the pandemic. The submitted piece is entitled: Love pollinated the universe.
Statement:
Art and crafting have soothed my soul and created a portal into experiencing both my inner worlds and my inner emotions and getting them out. Art heals, and this time is so powerful for all of us in that it’s a collective trauma where we are facing the unknown on so many levels. The practice of art enables me to see more possibilities in my life and frees me from much of the fear within and without, kindling my imagination and bringing me out of the lizard brain of fear and how to to make choices from a better space and how to adapt to the unexpected. Every painting always has this crisis where I feel I have ruined. It’s part of the passage way and the plot just like a book. And every time it is very real and very true my feelings of horror. It’s really rather bizarre, but it gets easier every time on some level. Like a familiar companion, oh, fear! oh, i made mistake! oh, ill just keep painting. đ
Issa Ibrahim Ibrahim
Biography:
Issa Ibrahim finds meaning and purpose as an artist, musician, writer, filmmaker, activist and 20-year artist-in-residence at Creedmoor Psychiatric Centerâs Living Museum. Author of the memoir The Hospital Always Wins, published by Chicago Review Press in 2016, Issa has been featured on German Public Television, an HBO documentary, an Edward R. Murrow and Third Coast award winning NPR audio story as well as participating in numerous art and mental health exhibitions the world over.
Statement:
I chose to capture the existential dread we all live with as exemplified by the metaphor of Pandoraâs Box releasing the 7 deadly sins. The artwork travels the trajectory of the life and tumultuous growth of the deadly virus influenced and infected by societal and environmental chaos. There is Turmoil from the cradle to the grave, Sickness and mental health issues, Hatred of the races and the politics of patriotism, Passion and the profane, Jealousy and the negative influences of social media, Strife from the housing crisis and homelessness, Famine and hunger, Death in relation to environmental awareness and climate crisis, and finally there is Hope amid moral and spiritual bankruptcy, and the audience is left to confront their better angels.
Matthew Kelly
Biography:
I’m an 44 year old artist/student/homemaker, living in Rosendale, with my wife, children, and animals. I work part time at the Everette Hodge Community Center in Kingston as an arts counselor for elementary-aged kids. I’m about to graduate Marist College with a B.A. and very recently got accepted into SUNY Albany’s Masters of Social Work program. I worked at R&F Paints for a long time as a paintmaker and have had artwork in multiple exhibits over the past 15-20 years. I have bi-polar and this past year has been incredibly challenging. If it wasn’t for art I’d be a mess.
Statement:
I drive around doing errands in Kingston, Rosendale, New Paltz, etc. and when I have a spare twenty minutes or so I sketch out places that I think are visually interesting. I take the sketches home and turn them into watercolor paintings. I don’t have very much time or space to complete these works, so I try to keep them small. I find drawing lines meditative and using color is a bit of an emotional relief. I am incredibly anxious about the covid pandemic and so I am a little strict with the safety protocals, so drawing compositions by myself feels like the best thing to do while social distancing. It also helps reinforce the notion that the pandemic might be altering the everyday lives of people, but it’s not taking the beauty out of the landscape.
Larry Cox
Biography:
I got into writing and drawing from an early age, but decided to choose a “safer” activity as a career. While I made a living working with technology, I could never walk away from the art, though my art flourished more fully in the years before I turned to studying technology.
Statement:
During the pandemic I wrote extensively about the emotional effects I was experiencing as a result of isolating at home. I would usually illustrate my writing with my own photographs, or with drawings dating from my teenage years. But one day I wanted to write about the experience of having two different people (or groups) tell me completely different stories about the same reality, and I could find no illustration in my library to convey this concept. To I took out a piece of drawing paper and outlined an image using pencil, then filled in the background dark places with charcoal. These were the only art tools I had available to me at home. Then I scanned this black and white drawing into a digital file and colored it in using Paint and my mouse. These are not proper digital art tools, but they were what was available. Though I rarely try to bring my concepts to life via visual art, this time it seemed a must, and so a modest work of art, my first serious attempt at a color sketch in many years, was born.
About this Work:
Two beings tell me completely different stories about the same object.
Nat Barden
outsidein.org.uk/galleries/nat-barden/
Biography:
Making art has been hugely therapeutic for me this last year especially. I have been doing a wonderful Visual Arts course with Cambridge Community Arts online and this with my other art groups with Oblique Arts and the Women’s Resources centre workshops I have been lucky enough to be inspired and receive a valuable sense of support and connection with some really lovely people! I love learning new techniques influenced by other artists and using paint, pencils, collage, pieces from nature and creating Land Art.
Statment:
Living in the Love Heart was created as my final mixed media piece for my CCA course where I wanted to express my love and appreciation for my my beautiful flat. Especially after being displaced last year.
I am very lucky to be surrounded by nature where I live which is a huge element to being home and healing for me. I have a lovely park that I live opposite to and my little garden area that I’ve cultivated. Birds come daily to feed off the fat balls and the peanuts and I love to watch them and hear their songs!
In my piece I used Gesso to create texture and relief on the trunk of the sacred tree bark and i added some actual bark and gold leaf over the top of the watercolours i used for that sky and the tree. All the birds, bat, hedgehog, snail, badger, bee, and mushroom were all cut out from a Natures home magazine that my friend Stephen gave to me at the beginning of the first Lockdown. The carpet of flowers at the bottom of the piece is wrapping paper my friend Kat wrapped my birthday present in and the dried flowers were a gift from my friend Dan also for my birthday. I enhanced and refreshed these gorgeous and unusual flowers with gold spray paint and mica minerals powder.
The Llama was from a Christmas decoration & the Love hearts were given to me by Becca at the community gardens, where I sometimes volunteer, when I was there helping to decorate the garden for Christmas! The little ceramic house symbolizing my precious home where I feel safe and happy was bought at an art fair but was broken one day when I was dusting so has taken on a new life.
Jen Padron
Biography:
I create all of the art+ for Surviving Race Intersection on Injustice, Disability and Human Rights since the inception for the Peer Telehealth COVID19 CRISIS RESPONSE NETWORK with GoTo sponsoring us with the COVID19 Emergency REsponse Kit+.
Statement:
My response creatively came out of being emotionally impacted. My PTSD triggers quickly. Making art+ helps me to focus on healing, on making, on creating. It calms me down. I work as a first responder health provider and with crisis (suicide/homicide) daily. I’ve been sick a lot since Covid19. Have had 4 Covid19 tests, survived viral pneumonia and now have the double-shot Moderna vaccine under my belt. I continue to create work for Surviving Race and it drives me. I combine filmic image with message for love peace justice.
About this Work:
I made this drawing from my meaning to covid19. It has disparaged me in so many ways. i hate it. This painting shows the gaping hole of what it’s doing to all of us.
Kathy Breda
Biography:
I got the photography bug in 1966 at age 11. I submitted 1.00 and 10 Bazooka gum wrappers to the gum company and in return I received a little plastic camera. It got dropped a couple of times and there was only so much tape I could use to hold it together. Then I moved on to a pocket 110 camera. It took terrible pictures. My next move in 1983 was to a 35mm slr film camera. That kept me very happy until I went digital in 2005. I never looked back. My favorite subject to shoot is flowers.
Statement:
I’ve really branched out and increased my photo editing skills, especially in Photoshop. I’ve done photo restoration for others. It fills my need to be creative and to bring joy to others. I design Christmas cards and send them out to folks. They really appreciate the personal touch. I’ve done my best work during dark times in my life and the pandemic definitely is a difficult time.
Louise Devismes
Biography:
Louise is a French poet and artist based in Canterbury, England. She learned English at a young age and chose to live abroad to better express her creativity in that language. Her work is primarily focused on femininity, coming of age, family, and abuse. Louise is a recognized spoken word poet in Canterbury, having been played numerous times on BBC Radio Kent, and she will be representing the city at UniSlam, the national spoken word poetry competition for universities.
Statement:
During the first lockdown in England, I worked on putting together a collection of memoir and poetry. I also illustrated the whole book, and I feel like having something to work and focus on, that I could be proud of, gave me a reason to get up in the morning. I am now looking for a publishing contract for this collection, as well as working on a new one.
I started digital art during the summer of 2020, as a way to gain some income after losing my job due to the pandemic. I now take commissions for my art, and sell prints online. I also recently started storyboarding, which is teaching me a whole new lot of creative techniques. A creative is the best thing to be during this pandemic, because we can keep progressing doing what we love.
The art I am making is both thanks to, and in spite of this pandemic. A lot of it would’ve never existed without the free time I have had in lockdown. On the other hand, creating has also been cathartic: it’s a way to express this turmoil of emotions that comes from being locked in a room, as well as a way to escape these restrictions.
About this Work:
I created this piece at a time when I was particularly struggling mentally. Being out a job, and away from my friends and my partner, depressive thoughts were getting really loud. I have had bad mental health for as long as I can remember, but I have never looked to be diagnosed – by fear of what that might mean, maybe. So when these intrusive, obsessive thoughts arrive and change my mood and behaviour, I don’t always necessarily understand them, and they feel more like an outgrowth that I can’t get rid of.
This piece, titled “Medusa’s first period”, is a comic interpretation of this. What if Medusa’s snakes suddenly appeared when she hit puberty? The sheer confusion and terror, with something that you don’t understand now being part of you forever and ruining your life.
Being able to turn these hopelessness feelings or bad situations into art is something that I never cease to be thankful for. It is an example of turning a dark place into something positive, to be proud of, and that can be shared with the world.
Adam Forguites
Biography:
I have painting as a practice for about thirty years. My work is largely private but I do try to show throughout the year to stay in touch with the world. I like group projects, putting on shows for other artists and collaborating with writers.
Statement:
I worked on a series of 19 paintings in response to the initial shut down. Although they all related to each other as a group, some were companion pieces in a collaborative project, some were commissions and some were made for unrelated shows. I finished these in December and have spent the last 2 months working on 2 large pieces made for friends examining the isolation of the pandemic. I managed to show, largely online, throughout 2020 as we all adapted to the restrictions. I enjoy the support of a weekly zoom meeting with an art group and have been curating a small space in my community.
Andrew Brady
Biography:
My name is Andrew Brady . Born and raised in Brooklyn. I am 22 years old . I attend Kingsborough Community College. I am in my 1st year second semester of graphic design. I am on the spectrum.. My piece is Reflection. One side dark/One side bright.
Statement:
I love art . I basically draw abstract. My feelings . Covid has stopped a lot in my life . I graduate high school with honors. Then I decided to go to trade school. Then covid no internships. So I went college in the fall to have my dream. My whole life stopped. Mom stopped working we just stayed on lockdown. It’s complicated to express.
Valerie Perdue
@togethernow16 (Instagram)
Biography:
I live mental health and mental illness. Depression, bipolar and schizophrenia all run in my family and have had deep impacts on me and my loved ones. My career has been as a PhD clinical psychologist as a dance/movement therapist. My current focus includes meditation practices.
Statement:
When the lockdown began I decided to get out long stored art supplies and spend time exploring them. I have found a wonderful source of a peace of mind and personal expression in creating visual art. I began with Zentangle and then on to various folk art methods. I’m expanding into my own integrative techniques that work for me. My favorite media so far are pens, pencils, pastels and watercolors on paper. I have also enjoyed collage with both torn and scissor cut paper. I love combining media to get the effects I want in order to express my ideas.
Tim Sampson
Biography:
When someone hears the entirety of the story of my life I am frequently asked how it is that I am still alive. I generally respond that from an early age I was powerfully drawn to nature and also to using my mind and body in the creation of tangible things. I worked in many aspects of carpentry including set design and construction for theatre. At the age of forty I entered the field of wine making which further fueled my need to create. I live now as peacefully as I’m able with my wife, dog and four mules.
Statement:
Up until the start of the industrial revolution mankind lived by way of the hand. Early hunter gatherers used repetitive single-focused processes to gather plants and process them into food. Hunters cleared their minds to become attuned with their surroundings to find prey. For most of the history of agriculture all aspects were done by hand, from planting through to the preparation of food for the table. In other words, from an evolutionary standpoint this ability of our minds to focus on these tasks meant survival itself and therefore are very soothing to the human nervous system. Enter the Industrial Age and worse yet the Computer Age and the massive overstimulation that we all absorb constantly. Couple this with the numerous existential threats facing the planet then throw in a global pandemic and itâs impossible for me to not feel like I’m living a slow motion train wreck! Amongst the myriad of methods there are to cope is the mindfulness meditation movement. The practice of single-pointed attention to calm the mind, slow the thoughts and soothe the body, which to my way of thinking sound very similar to what Iâve described previously. In the creation of pine needle baskets I’ve found my meditative state and simulated a return to the primal method of survival and the reassurance of mind body spirit. My baskets typically take over thirty hours to complete, sometimes much more. I seldom start with more than a vague idea or concept preferring to let my slowed brain, hands and intuition guide me to the final outcome.
